Indian Zuchini in coconut milk

Here's a traditional Indian zucchini (aka janhi in oriya, or ridge gourd in English) curry with, guess what - coconut milk. Simply mouth watering, isn't it!

This one is so simple and yet so tasty you won't believe it! Great coastal flavors, and goes great with rice, roti or dosas. I can't decide which combination I like better. With so much good taste all around, it's hard to decide sometimes! Having it with dosa certainly reminds one of the classic appam-stew from Kerala, and with rice it just brings back memories of childhood. It's actually not so well known outside of Odisha, but so many oriya dishes have coconut as their key ingredient. As they say in Oriya 'Padichi Nadia, lagiba badhia' - translated poorly as "Got coconut, tastes great" !!

 

 

So here's what you need:

 

(Serves 2)

 

1 long Indian zucchini (12 inch) peeled and cut into bite sized chunks

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 green chili (slit)

1 tomato cut into chunks

1 inch ginger (grated)

2 cups coconut milk

Curry leaves

1/2 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

 

And here's what you do with these simple ingredients:

 

• Lightly peel the zucchini. Peeling all of the skin will make them gooey and loose their form and texture.
• Lightly fry the zucchini chunks in oil till golden and keep aside
• In a pan, heat up oil and add mustard seeds. Let them crackle.
• Add the slit green chili and curry leaves.
• Add the grated ginger and fry for 30 seconds
• Now add the chunked up tomato, turmeric and coriander powder and mix
• Cover and cook for 3-5 mins till the raw smell is gone.
• At low heat, add the coconut milk in while stirring
• Cover and cook for another 5 mins
• Now add the fried zucchini and let it simmer for 2 mins
• Add salt to taste and enjoy!

This one is the no-onion-no-garlic version, but you can also add in ginger and garlic in the masala if you like. It tastes heavenly either way. Leave me a comment if you like this one. There's so much comfort in coastal flavors, that when I savor this, I think fresh water ponds with coconut trees on the rims, breezy yet sultry afternoons, yeah and fish.. Yes! Fish, I need to have some fish!

 

Later!

Mushroom Pepper Chili (It's Delicious!)

 You have no idea, how much have I fallen in love with this dish! Mushrooms have become the star guest on the grocery list, ever since this was made for the first time in my kitchen. And you know you like it a lot when you have already eaten most of it from the plate and still trying to go for the last piece (even though you know the other person wants it as bad.) J

And you will know why I am raving so much about this once you make it too. If you love Indo-Chinese food, go, get the mushrooms NOW! J . I am not sure if the exact same dish is served in restaurants, but I do know chilly paneer, chili chicken are similar in some ways.  But quite frankly, this beats them all. For one, it tastes good, second – it’s super healthy. Seriously, give it a try!

I write too much, cause I love sharing the story behind every dish/ recipe. And each time I try to just move on to the recipe, I recollect what else I wanted to share. J . Ok this recipe happened purely because one of my vegetarian friends told me that he eats this mushroom recipe at some place in Bangalore and it’s called Pepper Mushroom and raved a lot about it. And the name sounded so fascinating that I just made something assuming what 'could' it be like. So never know, I could be horribly wrong in replicating that recipe, but it sure does work for me!! J

And one last bit. I usually share recipes with my friends to get their reactions/feedback before posting here. And one of my very good friends/ critics, Shaan had this to say:

“Truly a great dish...esp if u love indo-Chinese cuisine! Pls pls post this and help poor souls like us..:-) we are enjoying it with d-coke! I added all three types of peppers as well...”

You need: (should serve 3 but with me around, it’s good for 2 only!)

Button Mushrooms – 8 Oz or 250 grams

Cornflour – 3 Tbsp

Rice Flour – 1 Tbsp (for crunch)

Salt – to taste

Pepper – about a tbsp. (fresh coarse ground)

Oil – about 2 tsp (can use more if no restriction J )

Ginger – 1 tsp grated, ½ inch cut into juliennes.

Garlic paste– 1 tsp

Onion – 1 no. medium (fine chopped)

Onion – ½ medium size (with layers cut into square shape)

Long green chilies – 5-6nos. (the variety that has absolutely no heat, slit them)

Small green chilies – 1-2 nos (slit and seeds removed, adjust to taste)

Capsicum/ Bell Peppers – 1 Nos (cut into squares, can use colored peppers too)

Dark Soya Sauce – 1 Tbsp

Vinegar – 1 Tbsp

Tomato Ketchup – 1 Tbsp

Lemon Juice – 1 tsp  (optional)

Spring Onion – only green part cut into 1 inch pieces (optional)

1. Dunk the mushrooms in hot water for a minute and run under cold water and decant all water. Let the mushrooms remain a little moist so that the flour mixture sticks well to the mushroom.
2. In a bowl, mix cornflour, rice flour, a 2-3 pinches of salt, and about a 1tsp of ground pepper and mix well. 
3. Now coat all mushrooms with the flour mix. I usually coat them well once and wait for a few min and repeat the process with the remaining flour that didn’t stick the first time. This helps as the first layer soaks all the moisture and then second layer sticks even better but will be a little dry-ish adding to the crunch.. 
4. In a wide non stick pan, add about 1 tsp of oil and pan fry the mushroom on medium high and then on low flame to make it crispy. Pan should be wide enough so that mushrooms have space to fry well, else the moisture will make them soft instead. And if you are generous with oil, you don’t have to worry about all this. J
5. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate once they are brown from all sides.
6. Also fry squarish shaped layers of onion pieces and the bell peppers (typically the kinds u get in chinese gravy) in the same pan and transfer to another bowl.
7. In the pan add remaining 1 tsp of oil. 
8. Add grated ginger and garlic paste and fry well. 
9. Now add fine chopped onions and slit green chilies both big and small. Fry till onions get translucent. 
10. Now add soya sauce, tomato ketchup and vinegar. Fry till a little dry.
11. Now add mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, ginger juliennes and give a quick stir and add the remaining freshly ground pepper.
12. And if you are adding the greens of spring onions, do it now. 
13. Serve on a nice looking plate and squeeze lime if you wish to add some zing!

 *I sprinkle very little, ready ‘very little’ water after I coat the mushroom with flour mixture the first time. This helps more flour stick to mushrooms. But be careful to not make it gooey.

**You can always be generous with oil while frying mushrooms. And infact mushrooms taste very good even as simple stir fry like this.

***If you are not sure about the tang bit, try squeezing lime juice on a small portion only. Only then on the rest if you like.

****The black pepper quantity can be adjusted to suit your liking.

*****I feel this recipe will work well with paneer and boiled potatoes too.  

Saunfiana Gobhi Aloo (Cauliflower-Potato stir fry with aromatic fennel spices)

It's always interesting to see a slight difference in spice mix, the way you use them and at what stage you add them, makes a simple dish so elegant!

There is something very simple, nice and comforting about this cauliflower-potato preparation. I have always preferred to have cauliflower in its most natural form - less spice, crunchy, mild and flavorful. This perhaps comes from the way I have grown up eating this vegetable. Mom always kept it simple – either in a thin tangy tomato based gravy or as simple stir fry with lots of fresh cilantro and of course a few variations at times with  paneer, potatoes, peas or onions etc. 

This preparation is called 'Saunfiana' because of the use of  'Saunf' which means fennel seeds in Hindi. Fennel and coriander seeds always compliment the sweetness of cauliflower and potatoes.

Though this preparation has most of the spices very coarsely ground, as if in a very earthy/rustic style but the flavors you get as you bite into seem as if unfolding layers in a very elegant manner. With each morsel you bite into a different spice! 

I would rate this is as a must-make for vegetarian guests! By far, one of my most favorite cauliflower-potato preparation.  And it's super easy and fast!

You need (serves 2) :

Cauliflower – 1 cup (cut into bite size florets)

Potatoes – 2 (peeled and cut into half or quarter, to make it same size as the cauliflower florets)

Coriander seeds – 1 Tbsp

Saunf/ Fennel seeds – 2 tsp

Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

Peppercorn – 10-15 nos. 

Salt – to taste

Mustard oil – 1-2 Tbsp

Asafoetida/ Hing – ¼ tsp

Red chili powder – ¼ tsp (adjust to taste)

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Fresh cilantro/ Coriander leaves

Lime Juice – 1 tsp (optional or as per taste)

1. In boiling water add half teaspoon of salt. Add the cauliflower and boil for 1 min. (Don't boil any longer longer as this will cook the cauliflower and make it gooey). Drain the cauliflower and run under cold water immediately. This is to stop the cooking process and retain the color/ texture. 
2. Boil the potatoes till half done. Drain and keep aside. Again make sure they are only half cooked and not any more. This will makes sure the potatoes and cauliflower when cooked together will cook to perfection. 
3. Dry roast on low flame the coriander, cumin, saunf/fennel seeds and peppercorn till you get a nice aroma. Don't over roast as they will burn and lose the flavor :).  Stop roasting once you get the aroma of the spices. Coarsely grind these spices in a mortar-pestle. Don't use a blender you need it very very coarse (as shown in the picture). If you don't have a mortar-pestle, take the spices in a zip-lock bag or roll between a cloth and bash it with any heavy object (no ceramic/ fine china please :))
4. In a non-stick pan, add the mustard oil and heat till it fumes. This will ensure all the bitterness of the oil is gone. Add asafoetida/ hing. 
5. Now add the potato, cauliflower and mix well. 
6. Add red chili powder, salt and turmeric and give it a quick stir.
7. Now cover and cook for 4-5 min.  
8. Now add the ground spice mix and gently stir. 
9. Cover and cook for another 4-5 min or until done. 
10. Now add freshly chopped cilantro and a add a dash of lime (if you like it slight tangy)!

* if you are using baby potatoes, can leave the skin on.

Cabbage Kabab (Super Healthy, Super Tasty!)

Super healthy and super tasty kababs for vegetarians. Don't let the cabbage discourage you! The cabbage and potato mixture make these kababs super moist, succulent. Since I  steam-cook the cabbage almost three-fouth, before adding other ingredients, it has a creamy texture and there is no way anyone will guess whats inside!!  It's a must try!

By the way it's my mom's recipe with a slight twist! While she cuts her cabbage a little coarser to have a distinct taste of crispy cabbage, I like mine very very fine (almost minced) to lend a creamier texture and taste. She makes them like patties/ cutlet shapes (to keep them crispier uniformly) and avoids cornflour, while I make mine round so that I get a succulent centre and crispy exterior. Feel free to try my mom's version too as a variety, just chop the cabbage a little coarse and shape them like patties and skip the corn flour. It tastes good too!!

You need:

Very finely grated cabbage - 1 Cup

Boiled potato - 1 medium size (grated fined)

Onion - 1 medium (chopped very very fine)

Roasted cumin powder - 1 tsp 

Green chilies - 2-3 nos. (fine chopped, adjust to taste)

Fresh coriander leaves/Cilantro - 1/2 cup (chopped fine)

Fresh mint leaves - 5-6 nos. (fine chopped)

Fresh ground pepper - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp (adjust to taste)

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust to taste)

Corn flour - 1/2  Tbsp

Gram flour - 1/2 Tbsp

Aamchoor/ Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 Tbsp (or enough to pan fry)

1. Add a tsp of water to the cabbage and pop it in the microwave oven for 2-3 min. (squeeze out if any excess water remains). You can alternatively cook it in a non-stick pan without adding any water till its cooked three-fourth. The objective is to cook it before making the kabab so that it remains soft, moist and creamy. 
2. Mix all the ingredients other than oil and mix really well so that the kabab mix is homogenous.
3. Cover with a cling wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for 15-20 min. This makes the mixture firm enough to not crumble while cooking. 
4. After 15-20 minutes if you feel the mixture is not firm enough to stay intact while cooking add a little more gram flour to the mixture. Add just enough to hold it as adding more flour would make it less succulent and soft. 
5. Form balls and cook on a non-stick pan with just enough oil to coat the kababs and fry till golden brown in color. The heat should be medium high in the beginning and then low so that exterior gets a little crispy from outside and still stays soft from inside.
6. Transfer to a plate and serve with mint chutney!

* To make roasted cumin owder - slow roast on a pan and crush in a mortar pestle or spice blender)

Pyaz ki Khatti-Meethi Tarkari (baby-onions in sweet-tangy sauce)

Nice sweet tangy onion subzi thats quite refreshing. It's a simple, no-fuss dish that goes very well with any kind of dal and phulkas (puffed indian bread). Perfect on a day when you want to eat something light and easy!

You need:

White pearl baby onions - 12-14 cps. (Substitute with roughly chopped onions)

Green Chili - 2 (slit)

Mustard Oil - 1 tsp

Onion Seeds/ Kaluanji/ Nigella Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Ginger Pate - 1/2 tsp

Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind pulp - 1 tbsp

Jaggery - 2 Tbsp 

Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp (adjust to taste)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

1. Heat mustard oil in pan till it starts fuming. If you are cooking in mustard oil, always make sure the oil is heated till it fumes and only then start adding other ingredients. This takes away the bitterness from the oil and lends only the mustard flavor to your dish.
2. Add kalaunji and green chili. 
3. Once kalaunji splutters add turmeric, ginger, garlic paste and fry for 15-20 sec. 
4. Add the tamarind pulp, red chili powder, salt and jaggery.
5. Add a cup of water and mix all the ingredients well. 
6. Now add the onions and cook till the onions lose their pungent taste and become sweet and soft.
7. Serve with phulkas and dal. 

*If you don't have baby-onions at hand, replace with red onions (quartered and layers separated)

Mushroom - Spinach Sandwich

Ok, I confess! I am not a big sandwich fan. If you are like me who considers it a health food and avoids too much cheese, deep fired patties and too much mayonnaise between your bread, you will know what I mean when I say, sandwiches are blah! But I have always managed to make some varieties at home which make me repeatedly say 'ok, this is the last bite I am going to eat as I am full' and still eat some more. One of them being the Mushroom-Spinach sandwich. The nutty taste of mushroom with hearty spinach goes so well together. Mushroom gives a nice bite to it, while the spinach cooked in garlic and spring onions makes it creamy. The colored peppers give a burst of colors that will make even kids ask for more and more! This nutrient packed sandwich is for everyone! Feel free to add fresh corn kernels, or any other veggie of your choice!

While any bread is good to make this sandwich, there is nothing like fresh Ciabatta. However, I prefer to make my own flat bread for this one and feel it's worth the effort!. And, why exactly do I prefer making my own bread? Well,  I don't like sandwich made with store-bought toasted bread, as it gets too crispy and you spend more time chewing the bread than enjoy what's inside. The un-toasted bread feels too bland and soft. And then there is nothing like a nice soft bread that is slightly crispy from outside and still fluffy, spongy inside!

Infact, I use the same dough in a loaf pan to make white bread! Eating fresh from the oven, home made bread is such a joy. Slather home made jam, or cream cheese or plain butter or just have it plain!

But don't worry, if you don't want to make your own bread, use any fresh bread from your favorite deli and this sandwich will still taste awesome!

You need:

For the filling:
Button Mushrooms - 1/2 Cup (cleaned and sliced)
Baby Spinach - 1 Cup
Onion - 1/2 Medium size (thinly sliced)
Capsicum/ Colored Peppers - 1/2 (sliced)
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Freshly crushed pepper - 1/4 tsp
Cheddar cheese - 2 slices (use any kind you prefer, I used the non-fat variety)
Sweet corn kernels - 1/4 cup (optional)

For the bread:

All purpose flour/ Maida – 2 ¾ cup

Rice flour – ¼ cup

Boiled potato – ½ cup (reserve water used to boil the potatoes to replace water for kneading the dough )

Salt – 1.5 tsp

Oil – 2 Tbsp

Warm buttermilk – ½ cup (replace with a mixture of 1/4 cup yogurt with 1/4 cup water)

Honey – 3 Tbsp

Yeast – 1.5 tsp

Water – ½ cup (adjust the water you get from boiling the potatoes to make 1/2 cup)

Sugar - ½ tsp

Making the Bread:

1. Mix sugar and active dry yeast in luke warm water (105-110 F) and keep it aside for 7-10 min. By the end of 7-10 min, the mixture should be frothy and this indicates that the yeast is active. Make sure the water is not too hot as yeast dies when subjected to high heat.
2. Combine all other ingredients, knead till smooth and springy, 5-10 minutes by hand or food procesor.The dough should be sticky, soft and spongy, but if it is way too sticky to handle, add a little flour to knead. But remember the dough is supposed to be sticky and soft, so ad flour only if you feel the dough is unmanageable without adding any extra flour. (The quantity of flour and water I have given should ideally be what you need) This should take upto 10 min as it needs to form gluten to make a nice fluffy bread.
3. Cover with bowl with a cling wrap and let rise till doubled, approx 1.5 hours.
4. Gently deflate dough, shape into balls and flatten them with your fingers to make 1/2 inch high rectangles of 8x4 inch dimensions.
5. Place into greased pans and leave until nicely risen but not over-proofed, approx. 35-45 minutes.
6. Pre-heat the oven at 375 F (pre-heating takes 10-15 min) and bake for 20 min or until the downward facing side is golden brown.
7. Turn sides and bake for another 10 min. 

Making the filling:

1. In oil add chopped garlic and for 1-2 minutes will the oil is infused with garlic flavor.
2. Add the onions and fry till translucent. 
3. Add the mushrooms, spinach and capsicum/colored peppers and saute for 3-4 min. Add sweet corn kernels at this stage if you are using them too.
4. Add salt pepper switch off.

To assemble the sandwich:

1. Add the filling to one half a side of the freshly baked bread. Then add the cheese on top of the filling and fold the second side over.
2. On a pan toast both sides gently so that the cheese melts slightly or just pop in microwave oven for 15 sec to melt the cheese.
3. Serve hot!

Haryali Subzi

A very healthy yet delightful dish! You have the goodness of spinach and the crunch, tang and burst of colors from other mixed vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, beans and green peas. I think this preparation will make kids ask for more!

Ever wondered if you were to make a nice dish for someone who loves spinach, what are the chances that you would make Palak Paneer? 90%. Hmmm.. 

I used to always run out of ideas to make spinach interesting, until I came across this recipe. The simple nutty taste of spinach with other garden vegetables coated in a tangy sauce makes it really refreshing! The best part is the spinach and other vegetables retain their individual tastes and yet taste so good together! I just love the way this dish is laid out. You  place the colorful vegetables right on top of a bed of glossy green spinach. Trust me, you will take your kids, family and guests, by surprise. It looks good and tastes even better!

You need:

Spinach puree – 1 Cup (see my notes below to blanch and puree)

Onion – 1 medium (fine chopped)

Ginger – 1 inch (fine chopped)

Garlic – 3-4 cloves (fine chopped)

Nutmeg powder – ¼ tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Tomato – 1 medium (fine chopped)

Cauliflower – ¼ Cup (or adjust  to liking, should be cut into small florets)

Carrot – 1-2 medium (or adjust  to liking, should be thinly sliced )

Beans – ¼ Cup (or adjust to your liking, cut into 1 inch pieces, )

Sweet baby green peas – ¼ Cup (or adjust to your liking)

Red chili powder – ¼ tsp (adjust to taste)

Garam Masala – ½ tsp

Fresh coriander / Cilantro – 2 tsp (fine chopped)

1. In a heavy bottom pan heat  ½ tsp of oil. 
2. Fry ginger and garlic for 30 seconds. 
3. Add the spinach puree, salt and nutmeg and let it cook. 
4. In a separate non-stick pan, fry chopped onions without using any oil till translucent. 
5. Transfer the onion to the spinach mixture. Add ½ tsp garam masala and continue  to cook till you get a nice thick gravy/ sauce consistency.  
6. In a separate pan, heat remaining oil and add cumin seeds. 
7. Once it splutters, add the tomatoes and salt. Cook the tomatoes till it become pulpy.
8. Add all the vegetables, salt to taste, red chili powder and remaining garam masala. Mix well, cover and cook till 80% done. But make sure they are cooked but still a little crunchy. 
9. Add the coriander leaves and switch off the gas. 
10. Now first transfer the spinach puree into a bowl. Now, on this bed of spinach puree, gently place the vegetables on top. Serve it as is!

* Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt, followed by spinach and immediately switch off the flame. Don't cover with any lid. After exactly 2 min. drain out the water out and dip the spinach in chilled water to stop the cooking process. Otherwise it will not only overcook but lose color too. Now blend the spinach  this to get a fine puree. 

** You can also add paneer to this vegetable mix

Appam (Rice flour Pancake - Kerala Cuisine)

No Kerala style stew is complete without appams. It must be a torture to both stew and the appam. It must be like pulling the twins aparts. It's like asking you to chose between Tiramisu and Trifle Pudding! That's quite dramatic, isn't it!! Having watched Bollywood all my life, you couldn't expect any lesser! :) But that also means I just love eating hot appams with this nice flavorful stew! Appams (Plain hoppers) are nothing but pancakes made from riceflour and coconut milk with a spongy center. They are nice, sweet, succulent and crispy, all at the same time. 

And yeah, there is another version! If you are a bulls-eye or sunny-side-up lover, then Mutta- Appam (Egg Hopper) is your kind of thing. You have the egg broken right in the centre of the appam. Nothing like alternating between dipping your appam into stew and an egg!


Treat your friends to a nice dinner from 'God's Own Country - Kerala'!

You need:

Rice Flour - 2 cups

Rapid Rise Highly Active Yeast – 1 tsp

Sugar – 3 tbsp

Rava/ Semolina – 2 tbsp

Thick Coconut Milk – 1/2 to 1 Cup (I use Thai brand canned coconut milk)

Water – As needed

Salt – 1 tsp 

Preparing the batter:

1. First you need to make the rava paste. This is the only step that requires any work at all, rest all is just mixing the ingredients. For making rava paste, take 2 cups of water and 2 Tbsp of rava in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil stirring continuously and then boil it on simmer flame till it is reduced to almost half. Stir continuously so that the rava doesn’t lump up or stick to the base.  When the mixture changes to a thick paste, almost to the consistency of custard or porridge, remove it from heat and allow it to cool completely.
2. In a large bowl (since it will rise to almost double when fermented) combine rice flour, sugar, cooled rava paste, rapid rise yeast along with 1/2 cup coconut milk and salt. Add around 1/2 to 1 cup water or more and whisk everything to form a smooth and thick batter. The batter should be thick because after fermentation it will rise and become thinner in consistency.
3. Leave the batter in a warm place for around 3-4 hours and allow it to ferment. I prefer to pre-heat the oven to the 150 F for 5 min and switch off the oven. Then place the bowl with batter in the oven and keep the door closed. 
4. Once the batter is ready, adjust the consistency by adding water. It should be similar to that of a dosa batter. 

Making the appams:

1. Heat a non stick pan on medium flame. The pan should be slightly deep in the center. Like a small non-stick kadhai. 
2. Pour ladle full of batter into pan and swirl the pan lightly, spreading batter to the sides of the pan. And a little should batter should be left to collect in the center of the pan. 
3. Cover with lid and allow it to cook for around 3 minutes on medium heat. When the center of appam is done (basically the entire appam should be spongy and not have any white uncooked patch) and the edges start detaching, remove the appam carefully from the pan. There is no need to flip it to the other side to cook or brown.  If you like your appams more crispy and golden brown, add a little more sugar to the batter.
4. To make mutta-appam (egg appam), just break and egg in the centre of the appam once it has been cooked for a while and the centre is a little firm. You need the center of the appam to be cooked a little so as to not get have a puddle of batter uncooked beneath the egg. It's like serving an egg sunny side up in the center of an appam!

* I use Fleischman Rapid Rise Yeast for quicker fermentation. If you are using Ordinary Active Dry Yeast, then mix the yeast in lukewarm water (105 F-115 F) with 1 tsp of sugar. Keep it aside for 7-10 min. till the mixture gets frothy. Make sure the water is not too hot as it will kill the yeast and the fermentation will not happen in 3-4 hours. If such a thing does happen, just let it ferment naturally for 9-10 hrs in a warm place.

 **As always, I insist, please use a whisk to make the batter. It will lump-free with no effort at all! :)

Vegetable Stew - Kerala Cusine (Mild coconut based Veg-Stew)

What can I say! My first appam-stew experience was at my friend's (Leena Mohan) place when I was in school. Ever since I have been absolutely bonkers over this delicious, mild, flavorful stew served with crunchy yet soft sweet appams (pan cakes). Infact I can have this stew just like that as my dinner! One of those things I absolutely adore. 

My love affair with appam-stew continued at Coconut Grove (Bangalore, Church Street). The guys at Coconut Grove (CG) always got some extra stew for me since they knew one bowl wasn't sufficient! The appams were always served one after another so that they come steaming hot into your plate. Of course fried fish was an integral part of this combo in CG. The music was relaxing, the tender coconut water was soothing, the fried fish was tongue tickling and the appam stew was comforting. I still love going to CG on any given day! 

Ok, so since CG can't come here, I have there is work cut out for myslef to re-create the appam-stew magic! So I called my sister-in-law Nisha (who is originally from - god's own country – Kerala) to get the authentic stew recipe. Now I know,  a typical staple food made at home can never have a standard recipe (for that matter there is nothing called the real authentic recipe, each one has their own version based on taste and liking). But then, there is always that one little secret which only mom's know! And Nisha had her mom next to her explaining the recipe to me! That's called luck! And trust me, I got that one secret ingredient from her which no recipe (books, online, cookery show) mentions. And that is saunf/ fennel powder. The minute I tasted the stew, I knew it, I had hit the jackpot!! I have made this stew countless number of times, but this time around, the CG taste was in my stew!!! Ah the stew!!

Just realised, I was here to share the recipe! :) Last quick note - check out the nice dinner menu from 'God's Own Country - Kerala'!

You need: 

(serves 2 – I could have eaten it all alone but there were two of us for dinner :) )

Potatoes – 2 medium size (boiled, peeled and roughly cut into cubes)

Pearl white onions – ½ Cup (or cut onions into big chunks)

Carrot – 1 medium (peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces)

Green chilies – 2-3 (slit)

Bay leaf – 1 no. 

Cloves – 3-4

Green cardamom – 3-4

Cinnamon stick – 1 inch

Curry leaves – 7-10 

Saunf powder – 1.5 tsp (must, must, this is the secret ingredient)

Coriander powder – 1 tsp 

Salt – to taste

Coconut oil – 2 tsp  (will be used in parts)

Good quality coconut milk – 14-16 Oz can (I used almost half, you may want to adjust this as per your taste and the quality of the coconut milk)

1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pressure cooker, add green chilies, bayleaf, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick. curry leaves and fry for 30 secs. 
2. Now add the saunf and coriander powder. Fry for 15 sec. 
3. Add carrots and pearl onions. Give a stir and add enough water to just cover the vegetables. 
4. On a high flame pressure cook the vegetables for exact 3 min. Whether whistle happens or not, switch off the heat and ease the pressure. You could either run it under cold water or lift the whistle. This is to make sure the vegetables are cooked but still firm. 
5. Transfer all the contents to a sauce pan, add the potatoes and bring to a boil. 
6. After 5 min, add the coconut milk and adjust the salt. Cook for min, drizzle the remaining 1 tsp coconut oil and mix (you can skip this if you don't like the smell of coconut so much but it does make a difference). 
7. Switch off and serve hot with hot appams! 
8. Once the stew cools it thickens a little so adjust the consistency if you plan to cool it a little and eat. But this dish should be eaten steaming hot!

*You can also make appams with hardly any effort. Try the Appam and Mutta-Appam recipe. 

Soya Chunk & Mushroom Pulao/ Pilaf

A hearty meal in itself! Mild pulao with a nutty flavor! A good meal when you want to go easy after a tiring day and not keen to do elaborate cooking and yet eat something nice. Very nutritious too with all the vegetables, mushrooms and a good source of protein with soya chunks. 

A good meal combo would be - Mushroom Soya chunk Pulao, Boondi raita and pan - grilled eggplant slices seasoned with just salt and pepper. (make half inch thick slices and  pan-grill on high flame with very little oill). Adding quartered boiled eggs for eggetarian does the trick!

You need:

Mushroom Soy Chunk Pulao/ Pilaf

Basmati Rice – 1 cup (washed, soaked for  not more than 30-45 min and drained)

Mushrooms – 1 Cup (sliced thick)

Soya Nuggets – ½ Cup 

Salt – 1 tsp

Lime Juice – 2 tsp (replace with lemon)

Green Chili – 2-3 (adjust to taste)

Mint Leaves – 5-6 (fine chopped)

Fresh green coriander / Cilantro – 1 Tbsp ()finely chopped)

Oil/ Butter  – 1.5 Tbsp

Bay Leaf – 1

Cinnamon Stick – 1 inch piece

Green Cardamom – 4

Cloves – 6

Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp

Onion – 1/2 cup, chopped

Ginger – 1 Tbsp, (grated)

Garlic – 1 Tbsp (grated)

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Green peas – 1/2 cup (try using organic baby sweet peas as they are super soft and sweet, thawed)

Red Bell Pepper – ¼ Cup (chopped, replace with green bell peppers as this is just to add color)

Yellow Bell Pepper – ¼ Cup (chopped, replace with green bell peppers as this is just to add color)

Water – 2 cups

1. Add salt, lime juice to boiling water in a sauce pan. Add the mushrooms and soya nuggets. Cover the lid, turn off the heat and let it sit for 15-20 min. Separate all the mushrooms and soya chunks from the liquid (broth). Squeeze out all the water from the soya nuggets too. Reserve the broth as it has all the flavor and goodness and we use it to cook the rice. This process also helps mushroom and soya chunks to retain their texture in the pulao.
2. Heat oil/ butter in a non-stick pan which is a little deep and has a cover.
3. Fry bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamom and cloves till it leaves aroma (approx 30 sec.) and then the cumin seeds. 
4. Add onions, ginger, garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until translucent.
5. Now add the mint and coriander leaves and fry for 30 sec. 
6. Add garam masala and yogurt. Fry till completely dry. 
7. Add mushrooms and soy chunks. Cut the bigger soya nuggets into half  so that they are all of same size. Remember to squeeze out all the water out of the soy chunks before you add them to the pan as they will make the rice gooey with all the water content. Cook until mushrooms  are golden brown and caramelized. Dont worry about soy chunks as they are cooked and firm enough 
8. Add rice, green peas, red and yellow bell peppers. Mix well. Be gentle as the rice grains can break very easily. Cook for 1 minute or until it is coated well with the oil and spices.
9. Add the broth you got from the mushroom and soy chunks.
10. Let it come to a boil with the lid open. Once it comes to a rapid boil, put the lid on, reduce the heat to simmer and cook for exact 15 min. Please do not open in-between as the steam/ moisture will escape and rice grains will not cook evenly. So don't worry, the rice will not stick or burn. There is enough moisture inside to let it cook nicely. 
11. After 15 minutes, turn off heat, gently fluff the pulao a little to separate rice grains but at the same time not break the grains.
12. Cover again and allow the pulao to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

*You can also add pav bhaji masala instead of garam masala for a nice twist. It does taste good!!